Mumbai will see the partial inauguration of Metro Line Nine and Line Two B on April three, with the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar set to preside. The occasion will also mark the start of tunnelling work for the Thane–Borivali twin tunnel project and the groundbreaking of the delayed pod taxi. Line Nine spans 13.5 km and links Dahisar to Mira Bhayander, with a first phase comprising a 4.5 km stretch and four stations at Dahisar, Pandurang Wadi, Mira Gaon and Kashigaon. That initial section will connect to Metro Line Seven, which runs from Dahisar to Andheri East, enabling through movement for commuters. The configuration is intended to offer a direct journey to Andheri without additional interchange. Officials estimate that the extension could boost ridership on Line Seven by 0.05 million (mn) to 0.1 million (mn) passengers daily, and that the increase may help to ease congestion at the Dahisar check naka. The projected rise is expected to redistribute passenger flows across the network and reduce pressure at key interchange points. Planners say other ancillary benefits include shorter travel times for suburban commuters. On Line Two B, which will ultimately connect Mandale in Mankhurd to DN Nagar in Andheri, five stations on a 5.39 km stretch including Mandale, Mankhurd, BSNL Metro, Shivaji Chowk and Diamond Garden will open in the first phase. The corridor will extend east west connectivity once fully commissioned and will link with other radial lines to improve network resilience. Work continues on remaining sections and integration plans are being finalised. The tunnel boring machine lowered in December for the Thane–Borivali twin tunnel project will commence excavation and officials said preparations are under way to deploy a second machine. In the Bandra-Kurla Complex the long awaited pod taxi project, which had been delayed by land acquisition issues involving Western Railway, will see its groundbreaking as key land hurdles have been largely resolved.